Where The Heart Is
by Lizzie9
Summary: A confession, a beginning, a call for help. Their countries at risk. An ex girlfriend with the only answers. A mid season 6 Tiva tale of coming together in the present and overcoming their pasts before they destroy their future.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: If I owned any part of NCIS, we wouldn't be waiting with baited breath to find out if they're really going to seal the deal this season.

_Do you feel a certain sense of synergy between yourself and me?_

Tony DiNozzo liked words. He liked talking, he liked reciting. He liked dialogue, banter, and streams of consciousness. He was a man who expressed himself through his mouth. This was sometimes helpful, particularly in his line of work. It was always good to feel confident that you could talk yourself out of a jam, buy some time with conversation, or coax a confession out of the guy you were interrogating. His love of speaking was sometimes a pain is his ass. Like now, for instance, in a dingy alley with McGee, sweating in the June sun, looking for body parts. He could feel them coming up, the five words he knew he shouldn't say.

"I'm in love with her." Tony blurted. He cursed himself for not being able to be a man and hold any and all ridiculous declarations of unrequited love in his head, and for not being around someone other than McGee when it came out. Of course McGee was better than Ziva herself. Or Gibbs. Definitely way better than Gibbs.

McGee looked at him blankly. "You're in love?" He repeated incredulously. They were the only two people in the alley; he knew he heard Tony correctly. He racked his brain, trying to think back to mentions of a hot young female or excessive gloating about sexual exploits that hovered over obscenity lines. "I didn't know there was anyone." McGee said after several moments of reflection. Which was odd. Tony wasn't one to be shy about his conquests. Unless it was someone he had real feelings for. Even so, it was strange he hadn't mentioned anything. The only person McGee knew for certain he saw outside of the office was…._Ziva?_

It suddenly fell into place; the flirting that was so much more, the codependent nature of their partnership, the way they had recently seemed to have plans for every waking moment.

"Oh Tony you didn't." McGee moaned. If Gibbs caught wind of this, he would ship Ziva right back to Israel, and the team was only just starting to get their mojo back after returning from their respective exiles.

"Didn't what?" Tony asked with a weak smile, a half hearted and failed attempt to feign innocence.

"You fell in love with Ziva?" McGee hissed, looking around nervously as if Gibbs was just going to appear and overhear them. Tony was significantly more concerned that a certain very stealth ninja would overhear.

"It's not like I had a choice!" Tony hissed back. "No one would choose this. She's entirely unattainable. She's made of steel!"

McGee frowned. When she first arrived, even a year ago, he would have agreed. "She's not like that anymore Tony." He said, his voice still quiet but much less frantic. "Don't pretend you haven't noticed the change in her. She's not so cold anymore..." Tony sighed. To him, she was the opposite of cold. She was fire. McGee watched him carefully, noting the way his face softened when he thought about her. It was, he realized, the same way Ziva's eyes warmed when she looked at Tony.

"Rule number twelve!" He lamented, certain that if Tony had told him, it was only a matter of time before it was in the open, and they would move on to the next stage of their bizarre dance around each other. "Gibbs will actually murder you. With his bare hands."

"Yea..." Tony said, leaving his thoughts that it would be more than worth it unsaid, but McGee heard what he wasn't saying. "Oh come on, Probie. Don't give me that look."

"Really? You think it'd be worth it? I know you've built up a lot of, uh, tension, with Ziva, but it's a _rule_." The look Tony shot him was a mixture of intense incredulousness and anger. McGee cleared his throat, taken aback.

"Do you need your ears checked, McGoo?" Tony asked. "I said I _loved_ her. It's not about sex. If I thought there was any hope she would have me, I'd want…. I'd want a future with her." He paused, figuring he had said this much, so why not get it all out? "And besides, who is Gibbs to control our relationships anyway?"

"Tony. Picture Gibbs putting his hands around your neck and squeezing the life out of you." McGee said, looking panicked, and mimicking the gesture.

"Who is Gibbs killing and why?" Ziva asked, rounding the corner with an evidence bag in her hands. "I think this is a colon." She said, holding it up.

"Gibbs will kill all of us if we don't get that back asap, David." Tony said, studying her for any indication she had heard him declare his undying love for her to McGee. She looked unphased, and Ziva would react to hearing that. "And I think it's a spleen."

"Two rounds says it is a colon." She bantered back.

"We hitting the town tonight?" Tony asked, a huge smile flashing on his face. He winced internally at how eager he sounded, and chastised himself for letting her get to him like she did.

"When I said rounds I was referring to ammunition." Ziva said, starting for the truck. She turned around and winked. "But I will settle for drinks." Tony stood back, watching the way her pants hugged her curves as her hips swung. He turned to McGee, the grin still firmly in place.

"Oh yea." He said. "It would be so worth it."

* * *

McGee and Abby sat at his desk and watched Tony watch Ziva. She was speaking Hebrew in a hushed tone into her cell phone and absently playing with the end of her hair. Tony was pretending to type while staring at her. McGee was trying to figure out if he was even blinking.

Tony couldn't help himself. He was in full on, borderline stalker-esque stare mode. Was it really his fault he got turned on when Ziva spoke other languages? Be real, DiNozzo, Tony said to himself. You get turned on at pretty much everything she does. But he didn't find himself culpable for that either. She was a _goddess_. A hot woman who could take down basically anyone and shoot any weapon known to man? Please.

DAVID, Ziva [18.43PM]: It was a colon.

Tony grinned, thanking God, the federal government and Timothy McGee for the creation of their in house instant messaging system, and that McGee was there to teach him how to use it. There was nothing that made him happier than being able to have private conversations with his partner; it gave them something that was only theirs.

DINOZZO, Anthony [18.44PM]: Was not David. Who are you talking to, anyway?

DAVID, Ziva [18.44PM]: If I told you, I would have to kill you. Is that not what they say in your films?

DINOZZO, Anthony [18.44PM]: Cliché Zi. You can do better.

DINOZZO, Anthony [18.45PM]: Have I taught you nothing?

DAVID, Ziva [18.46PM]: At least I can recognize a colon.

DINOZZO, Anthony [18.47PM]: Overconfidence killed the cat, David. I'm upping the stakes. Loser gets the other all out drunk tonight.

DAVID, Ziva [18.48PM]: Deal. If I win, we drink tequila. And I believe it was curiosity that did in the cat. Although I am still working out which cat it was.

He was about to type his response when she hung up the phone. He looked up, meeting her eyes. McGee and Abby exchanged a look as Gibbs interrupted the eye sex.

"We're done for the day." He announced, descending the staircase obviously in an anti Vance mood. No one moved. Gibbs didn't speak, he just eyed them all.

"They are waiting, Jethro, for me to identify this particular organ." Ducky said, bounding into the room with a swiftness atypical for a man of his age. "And I am pleased to announce that Officer David was correct. It is in fact, a colon."

"Ha! I told you so." Ziva said, smirking at Tony. "Overconfidence certainly did not kill this cat." Tony rolled his eyes affectionately, and grinned at her.

"Well then this cat should put her drinking shoes on." He said. He caught Gibbs' eye as he stood. "But maybe leave your gun, Zi." He added as an afterthought.

"Someone needs to go to evidence and make sure they've got everything from the house. And someone needs to go down to the lab and get the tox screen from Abby." Gibbs said gruffly, frowning at them. He was tired of them thinking they were pulling one over on him, that he didn't see the way they looked at each other.

"I'll get it!" Abby piped up. "And McGee is my ride, so he can go to evidence while I run the report up from the lab and we'll just meet you too there, so hurry along!" she said very quickly. Tony and Ziva took the hint and were halfway to the elevator before Gibbs opened his mouth to protest.

"Night boss!" Tony yelled, practically leaping for the button. Gibbs shook his head and fixed McGee and Abby with his stare in response.

* * *

"Whoa." Abby said as she McGee entered the bar. Tony and Ziva were sitting at the bar, with their stools so close they were practically on top of each other. They watched as Tony clinked his shot glass against hers and they downed the liquid, adding the empty glasses to a growing pile. Tony grinned, winked and said something to his partner who put her hand on his arm and leaned in closer to hear him.

McGee turned to Abby. "Can you keep a secret?" He asked.

"McGee!" She exclaimed. "My vault is secure."

"Good. Because I think it's a MOAS, and it's not even mine." He paused, and then spit it out before he changed his mind. "Tony is in love with Ziva." He blurted. Wincing, he mentally ran down the list of ways Tony would consider killing him for telling before turning his attention back to Abby.

"Well duh." She said. "God Tim have you been under a rock since she got here? She loves him too." McGee eyed her skeptically, about to respond when ducky walked in, Palmer and Nikki in tow.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Ducky asked, ushering them towards Tony and Ziva.

"Tony, you're beyond obvious." McGee hissed in his ear as he passed Tony.

"Like I said McWatchdog. It would be worth it." McGee gave him a pointed look and Tony signaled the bartender and held up two fingers, nodding at himself and Ziva, and flashing her his signature grin. Her heart skipped a beat and she cursed him silently for reducing her to a giddy school girl, but was unable to wipe the smile from her own lips. "There's nothing cuter than a drunk ninja."Tony blurted out without thinking. Damn tequila. She smiled at him, lowering her eyes and then raising them slowly to meet his. When she looked up at him from under her lashes, Tony thought he might die if he didn't kiss her right there. He settled for easing closer to her so their legs were touching.

"I don't think we will be getting much out of Agent Dinozzo or Officer David tonight." Ducky commented.

"Gibbs is going to kill them." McGee moaned. "They had to break rule number twelve. I can't believe this is happening." Ducky, Palmer and Nikki shot him an incredulous look, and Abby smiled an I told you so smile. "Am I the only one that didn't know?" McGee asked.

"Yes." They answered in unison.

"But Tony likes cheerleaders, and inappropriately young co-eds, and blondes. And Ziva is serious and…."

"A seriously hot assassin who looks like a model in a bikini and can hit a target while running?" Abby supplied helpfully. McGee opened his mouth, only to close it again. She had a point.

Ziva's head was spinning. She was most definitely drunk. She snuck a look at Tony and saw he was too; she could always tell. She sighed, missing his presence on the stool next to hers. They had mixed and mingled with McGee and the others and she hadn't spoken to Tony since his cuteness comment, which her heart was still fluttering from. Although, their being forced to interact with their co workers did not stop him from providing her with a steady supply of drinks. She turned away from Abby who had gotten distracted by Palmer, to find him on her other side, smiling and looking at her in a way no one had ever looked at her before. Ziva felt like she couldn't breathe. She took in that look, that smile, the way he was leaning against the bar, and in that moment there was no point in furthering her denial. She was completely in love with him. "God help me." She murmured to herself.

"Why are you smiling?" Tony asked, vaguely aware that too drunk to drive was not the best state to talk to her, but he couldn't make himself care.

"Just thinking about how happy I am to be back." She said. "Israel, it was not the same. I do not exactly fit in to Mossad the way I used to." Tony blinked, realizing she was as drunk as he was. It was the only time she ever talked like this.

"That's not really a bad thing, Zi. I like you when you're human." She smiled up at him, a real smile that reached her eyes. Tony reached out to brush a stray lock of hair out of her face, but stopped midway, his hand hovering awkwardly between them. He blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Did you start seeing someone in Israel?" She held his gaze and nodded slowly. Tony felt his heart sink and his stomach dropped. Ziva felt a surge of hope as he seemed to shrink with this information.

"But it is over now." She hurried to say. "I was not going to fall in love with him. There was nothing there." Relief flooded through Tony's bones at her words.

"I felt the same. With Jeanne." Ziva sucked in a breath; they did not discuss this. Ever. She preferred to act like it never happened. "I really thought I loved her, but it just wasn't possible." She arched an eyebrow, urging him to continue. "I'm in love with someone else. I was the whole time." He said so softly she barely heard it over the noise of the bar.

"It is you." Ziva blurted out before she could stop herself. Tony could only stare at her, unable to let himself entertain the notion she meant what he thought she did, let alone speak. Ziva bit her lip. Had she really misjudged what he was saying?

"What are you saying?" Tony finally choked out.

"I am telling you why I could not enter in a relationship. Why I found it so impossible to commit to someone."

"Why?" Tony asked. He needed to hear her say it or he would never believe this was happening. She sighed in frustration and looked at him.

"Are you kidding me?" She demanded. There was no turning back now. "Are you that out of feel that you can't see that I am so in love with you it makes my head spin?" The noise dipped then, and she realized that their coworkers and several strangers were staring at them. She kept her eyes on Tony, begging him to say it back. "Say something." She urged.

"Touch." Tony said, shocked. "It's out of touch." She stared at him, open mouthed, looking like she couldn't decide if she wanted to kill him or cry. He looked down sheepishly, trying to think of how to salvage this conversation. When he looked up, she was gone. He blinked at the rest of their friends, still dumbfounded. After a few seconds, he felt McGee's hand slap the back of his head Gibbs style.

"What the hell are you doing?" He all but shouted. Tony seemed to zoom back to reality. He bolted after her nearly knocking over Ducky on the way.

"You ever slap me like that again Probie, you will regret it!" He called over his shoulder. He paused in front of the door and turned around. "And Tim?"

"You'll kill me. I got it."

Tony smiled. "Remember that. But thanks."


	2. Chapter 2

Ziva was leaning over the sink with her eyes closed when she heard the door open and instinctively knew it was her partner. "You do not have to do this." She said without opening her eyes.

"I really think I do." Tony replied. He watched her, collecting his thoughts, still in disbelief. For years he had worked tirelessly to convince himself this would never happen. She would never have him. And now this... goddess was telling him not only would she have him, she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Words completely escaped him; he was bewildered by more than how lucky he'd gotten. She knew his history, saw him with Jeanne, listened to his inane, juvenile bragging about all of the women and all of the one night stands, and she still had enough faith in who he was becoming to confess how she felt.

He crossed the room in two quick strides, pulled her arms off the sink and kissed her, a kiss that was years in the making. Ziva was too shocked to respond at first; she was certain he was coming in here to let her down easily, to retain some sort of harmony in their partnership. She quickly gave up trying to anticipate where this was going and focused instead on returning his kiss. When they broke apart, after what could have been seconds or hours, he rested his forehead on hers.

"I'm an idiot." He told her, his voice soft. Her stomach dropped and she prepared for rejection, wanting to let go of him, but unwilling to give up the feeling of his body still pressed against hers, the contact of their foreheads and noses. "I should have told you years ago, Zi. And I never thought you'd feel it back, so when you said it first... I had no words, which is kind of a first, because while I'm an idiot, I never seem to shut up, and-"

"Tony!" She said. "What are you saying?" He moved back far enough to see her face, but kept his arms circled firmly around her waist.

"Are you that out of feel, officer David?" He asked, mimicking her words. "I'm saying that I love you. Always have." Ziva smiled up at him, a smile that encompassed everything that was just so Ziva it made him weak in the knees.

"I believe the expression is out of touch." She murmured, before pressing her lips back to his. It was a sweet kiss, meant to reciprocate his declaration of love, but his hands were all over her, and any sweetness quickly disappeared. Lips and tongues wrestled urgently, hands explored bodies and lips moved to necks and collarbones. Ziva tugged him back into the handicapped stall, and he shut the door with his leg; she reached around him and locked it with her free arm. "Teamwork." Tony gasped. "It is a succesful partnership." Ziva agreed with a smirk. Tony lifted her up onto the hand rail and secured her back against the wall. Now it was wild and uncontrollable. His hand was under her shirt in seconds as they kissed. Tony slipped his free under into Ziva's pants fighting the distinct urge to pinch himself, just to make sure it wasn't another hot sex with Ziva dream. Ziva felt his finger push her panties aside and go directly to her most sensitive spot, causing her to cry out. She responded by wrapping her legs around him. He gasped as she undid his belt buckle, ripped the button open and yanked down his zipper, immediately reaching for him, feeling like she hadn't in years. She stroked him slowly and his eyes glazed over, and she inhaled sharply as she felt him. Two of her fingers slipped inside of her, while his thumb stayed in the place that made her weak in the knees. She dug her free hand into his shoulder, feeling herself getting impossibly wet_. _

Her legs tightened instinctively around his waist, and she could feel him against her, pushing slowly, asking for permission. She bit her lip, hesitation clouding her mind; if they went here, it would never, ever be the same. "Point of no return." She whispered, her chest heaving. He looked at her pleadingly, and her resolve melted again. All he had to do was push inches and he would be inside of her. She reached between them and stroked him a few more times, the tingling sensation between her legs increasing as she did; he was impossibly hard.

"Ziva," gasped. The hesitation gave way to a frantic haze of desire only he could inspire. Instead of waiting for him, she pushed her hips forward. He immediately responded, pushing himself inside of her, smiling to himself when she buried her face in his shoulder to keep from crying out. _So she is a screamer, _Tony noted in his head, already thinking of very private ways he could explore this later. He lost the capacity for coherent thought when she lifted herself up slightly to slide him further inside of her.

McGee's eyes caught the glint of the bathroom door as it opened. He coughed abruptly, nearly choking on his beer. Abby, the only one still left followed his gaze and giggled. "Oh wow." She said lightly. Ziva and Tony were striding toward them, looking only at each other, neither of them speaking. Tony was thinking about how he knew he'd never be with anyone else in his life. And Ziva was slowly realizing that she was going to leave Mossad for him.

They both had flushed faces, and their clothes looked like they had dressed in the dark. Ziva's hair was a tangled mess of curls, and her makeup was smeared around her sparkling eyes. There were bite marks on her neck and bruises on Tony's upper arms. "They're a mess!" Abby exclaimed.

"But have you ever seen either of them look happier?" McGee murmured. They stared at them until they sidled back to the bar next to them as if nothing had happened. Tony slipped his fingers through Ziva's as he signaled for more shots. "What?" Ziva asked coyly, turning to them with a smile.

Tony chuckled; there was no point in trying to keep up a façade. Neither of them harbored the delusion they could hide it from Abby and McGee. "So you're just together now?" McGee asked, watching them. They were drunk, to be sure, but he was asking a question he already knew the answer to; under the out of character affection resulting from their lowered inhibitions, was something more.

"They look like they've been together for years." Abby said.

"And in my dreams, we have." Tony said without missing a beat. His phone rang and he fished it clumsily out of his pocket. "Hey boss!" he sang into the receiver.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs said, smiling at his exuberant tone. "Ziva with you?" Like McGee, he asked a question he already knew the answer to. He overheard them making plans nearly every night when they thought he wasn't listening.

"She's right here boss. McGee and Abby too." He added for clarification.

"You and David need to come back here immediately."

Tony paused. "That could be a problem. Ziva's wasted." He said flashing a grin at her.

"Just Ziva?" Gibbs asked a hint of amusement detectable in his voice. "That why you're slurring, DiNozzo?" Gibbs waited for Tony's defense, but instead he heard Ziva murmur something he couldn't make out in a sultry tone, followed by something that sounded like...lips? Gibbs tightened his grip on the phone but forced his anger down. He needed to deal with one thing at a time, and he wasn't about to address rule number twelve in front of Vance. "DiNozzo!" He barked. "It's not a case. I don't care how drunk you are. Have McGee drive you. Take a taxi. Just get here."

Tony frowned. Drunk as he might have been, he recognized Gibbs' stern but protective fatherly tone. "Boss, what's going on?" He asked.

"We've got Director David on MTAC in twenty." He replied. Tony hung up and ignoring McGee and Abby's curious looks turned directly to Ziva.

"He wants us there asap." He said.

"All of us?" McGee piped up.

Tony shook his head. "Asked for the two of us." He paused, eyeing Ziva carefully.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Your father wants us on MTAC in twenty minutes."

* * *

Tony was worried. He stood on the staircase waiting for Ziva to ascend them. She was below with a bottle of water in her hand, pacing. She didn't pace. She was unflappable. He started down the stairs only to stop himself; he had no idea where Gibbs was and if he saw them he would go ballistic. "Screw it." Tony muttered under his breath. He jogged down the steps toward her and stopped her methodic pacing by putting his arms around her and pulling her to him.

From in front of the elevator, Gibbs watched them, suddenly in awe of the way Ziva's entire body seemed to go from tense and overly alert to relaxed in Tony's grip. He would fight them on it, because he was their boss and it was his rule, but Gibbs knew he would lose.

"Boss!" McGee hissed, stepping off of the elevator with a tray of coffees in his hand. His eyes fell on Tony and Ziva and Gibbs held back a chuckle at the panic that flashed across his face. "I'm sure she's just upset. That it's nothing." McGee stammered. Gibbs held up a silencing palm when Ziva pulled back from Tony and started to speak. She looked... Scared. Fear was the last thing any of them expected to see in her eyes.

"What if he is ordering me to return to Mossad? To Tel Aviv?" She asked. Tony put his hands over her cheeks and she grasped at his wrists like they were lifelines.

"Listen to me Ziva." He said, his voice more serious than she had ever heard it. "That is absolutely not going to happen." She shook her head.

"You do not know that." She murmured. She lifted her eyes to meet his. "You do not know my father."

"But I do know that I will chain you to me before I let you leave. Or lock you in a cargo container." He quipped, earning a smile. "And what if that doesn't work?" She asked. Tony grinned down at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead and then her lips.

"Aw you know I'd follow you anywhere, David." He said, pretending to be embarrassed. Ziva smiled; somehow she did know that, despite having only been told hours ago.

Gibbs arched an eyebrow at McGee. "Oh yea." He said. "That looked like nothing."

"Uh, depends on your definition of nothing?" McGee tried. Gibbs shot him a look to hide his smile.

"They don't come more loyal than you Tim." He said as he walked away, in a tone so quiet McGee barely heard him. "Hope I'm not interrupting." McGee heard him boom in a tone he could have heard at the white house. He heard the sound of Tony and Ziva struggling to separate. "Your father is waiting."

* * *

"So it is decided." Eli said over the MTAC, watching his daughter's reaction curiously. She looked… terrified.

"I will come back?" Ziva asked in a tone just slightly over a whisper. Gibbs and Tony simultaneously frowned at the way she was wringing her hands together. Their eyes met over her head and Tony looked down instantly, not sure what he was more afraid of, Ziva leaving, Ziva's Dad, or Gibbs killing him for what he witnessed earlier. Tony snuck a glance at the MTAC feed, struggling to shake the suspicion Eli knew everything Tony had just done to his daughter in a bathroom stall.

"You will come back temporarily." Eli said. "Ziva have you listened to a word I have said? You and Agent DiNozzo will stay until the shipment is secure."

"Yea, that's the part I'm not clear on." Tony piped up. "Arms shipment coming into Israel or thereabouts, with weapons to be used against you guys and the U.S. Ziva kicks ass, you need her services, temporarily. Where exactly do I come in?"

"He makes a good tip." Ziva said.

"Point, Zi. Point." Tony corrected, chuckling and smiling at her. Ziva's father looked back and forth between them incredulously, wondering if he had been talking solely at Gibbs for the last half an hour.

"As I said, we have asked Agent DiNozzo to join you because of his history with the dealer."

It was Ziva's turn to chuckle. "You misunderstand NCIS." She told her father. "They do not operate like Mossad. Tony does not have a history with any arms dealers." She paused. "Except for…" she trailed off, narrowing her eyes at her father.

"The shipment is being supplied by whoever replaced La Grenouille as the head of his arms dealing empire."

"But the only person personally or professionally associated with La Grenouille confirmed as still living are his ex wife and…" Tony stopped short.

"His daughter." Eli supplied.

"Jeanne Benoit." Gibbs murmured.


	3. Chapter 3

After she heard the door to MTAC shut when Tony left, the only thing Ziva could do was put two fingers over the bridge of her nose, fighting the temptation to just pass out in one of the chairs behind her. The combination of alcohol and anxiety was making her dizzy. She snuck a look at her father who was scrutinizing her.

"Ziva." He said, his voice tinged with the slightest hint of amusement. "Was it something I said?" She turned to Gibbs, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"I think it was Gibbs that put the rail in the coffin." She said. Gibbs smiled at her.

"It's nail, David." He said, his voice reflecting the same amusement as her father's.

"Ridiculous language." Eli muttered. "Tell me Ziva, are you, involved with him?" She cursed in Hebrew under her breath as she felt a flush cover her cheeks as her body produced a vivid memory of exactly how she felt when he slid inside of her. The precise opposite of what she wanted to be feeling when in the presence of her father and her... Other father.

"Agent Gibbs." Eli boomed, using the voice he reserved for men he respected, "I was under the impression that NCIS was not like Mossad. That you did not allow this." Gibbs smiled the same smile he had given to Ziva seconds before.

"So was I." he said simply. Ziva could feel Gibbs' eyes on her, but she stared at her biological father, refusing to give her adopted one the chance to launch into the speech about rule number 12, and why it was there for a reason.

"This does not look like a mere partnership." Eli said, smirking. Ziva rolled her eyes. _Oh wonderful. Thank you Director,_ she thought, wincing at how much her inner monologue sounded like Tony.

"Hasn't for awhile." Gibbs said casually as though Ziva wasn't in the room.

"Oh stop it!" She snapped, causing Gibbs and her father to give her twin surprised looks that made her feel oddly satisfied. "This is not a joke!" she cried.

"Ziver...." Gibbs started. She flung a hand in the air, now feeling drunk and dramatic; she made a decision to take advantage of the opportunity to say what she felt. To both of them.

"The only joke here is that either of you honestly think that this has been remotely easy! I am a Mossad officer. A damn assassin. All of my training has been wholly dedicated to being a block of ice. I can hide my real feelings, produce insincere ones on the point, and after all of the missions and all of the times I never faltered, the thing to crack me is Anthony DiNozzo, who, in one of our first encounters announced proudly he had bagged over twenty blondes under the age of 25!" She all but shouted.

She faltered as a confused look crossed her face. "I do not know exactly what that means, but I can only assume that it is dirty." She paused, looking back and forth between the MTAC feed and Gibbs surprised to see that once again, their expressions matched. And even more surprising was that they both looked amused, but neither one seemed angry.

"I know that there is a rule." she said quietly, turning to Gibbs, once again thankful Tony had pumped her full of tequila. Liquid courage was the only way she was going to get this out. "But this is not a fling. This is not the result of too much drinking or pure sexual impulse. This is... everything." She forced herself to meet Gibbs' eyes.

His eyes narrowed, but Ziva held his gaze, and was surprised at the look she was giving him, a pleading look, like the only thing she was afraid of was that he'd say no. "And if I enforce the rule?"

"Gibbs, please." she whispered. Gibbs studied her, and knew his choice was a simple one. Lose the rule, or lose his two best agents. Her gaze gave him pause as he considered how hard he wanted to fight them on this.

The pleading in her eyes surprised even Gibbs. He hadn't seen that expression from Ziva before. In her years here, she had sized him up, looked at him with cold eyes, defiant eyes, conveyed humor, affection and respect, but never before had he seen her look so desperate, so vulnerable. Almost as tense and scared as she looked earlier when he watched them from the elevator. The scene replayed in his mind's eye, and the way she seemed to visibly soften when Tony wrapped his arms around her was not lost in the memory.

"I have that rule for a reason, David." he said simply. "You know the logic behind all my rules. Took you long enough to learn them."

"And I know that it does not apply to us." she blurted out, ignoring the dig. Gibbs arched an eyebrow, surprised. He knew she wasn't nearly as afraid of him as the rest of the team, but she rarely fell out of line.

"Our feelings for each other do not weaken us, they make us better agents. You know why we work so well together." She could see he was coming around. She met his eyes again, and Gibbs sighed. "Trust us."

"Damn it, Ziva." he muttered. With that, she won him over, because if there was one thing she and Tony had earned, it was his trust. He nodded slowly; she was right. The reason they worked so effectively together, the reason he went left when she went right, and the reason they always survived, but because of the way the felt about each other. They had what he and Jenny thought they had.

"I know you, Ziva." he said. "You wouldn't be able to utter the words if you didn't mean them. It's DiNozzo, after all." Ziva smirked good naturedly to hide the way her heart was pounding as relief flooded her body.

"Believe me, it is still hard to force out." she said in a tone that let Gibbs know she was joking. "Does that mean..." Eli cleared his throat on the MTAC feed, and Ziva's eyes darkened. She turned toward him. "Tony and I will come. And we will investigate. But I am a not a killer for hire anymore." she said calmly. Gibbs' eyebrows raised and he started to leave the room when he saw Ziva's head shake no slightly. She wanted him to hear this; this was her pledge of allegiance.

Eli took a calming breath and cursed himself for sending her over there in the first place. "Ziva do not be rash. I know you are, infatuated with this boy, but this all seems to have come about quickly, no?" Eli flashed the trademark trust me, I'm your father smile he had perfected over the years. The same one he gave her when she told him she had a bad feeling about the Morocco mission. The same one he gave when he pushed her towards Michael. Her head was spinning as she tried to process her thoughts, and her feelings, while finding the words to share her life altering decision with her father. She sighed; Ziva and Eli's was a complicated relationship. As much as she resented him, she spent a great deal of her life looking up to him, but now, at these crossroads, she wanted to have a father, not a Director.

She slowed her head from its frantic pace; just because her life was somewhere else now than it was when she woke up this morning, did not mean she was incapable of expressing what that change meant. She thought of the way she felt when she walked out of that bathroom with Tony, the overwhelming clarity, like suddenly she saw the rest of her life in a crystal ball.

"I have not been honest with you for a long time. Mossad is not who I am anymore. NCIS is who I am; being human is who I am. You were right. I have gone soft, I have forgotten my training, I have gotten weak. It is all true, you have always said so, and I have always listened. And then I remembered how to feel." She paused, a part of her tempted to give him the chance to respond, curious as to what he would say, but as he opened his mouth, she decided against it and forged ahead.

"Here, with Tony, I not only have a life, I have a future. As my Director, I am telling you it is time to bury that part of me. I want, I _need_ out. I will complete this last mission, and then I want to scratch my covers and return my weapons. That is all that I can ask of my Director. But as my father, I am asking you to accept my decision." She motioned to cut the feed, but stood still, staring at the blank screen long after it went dark.

Gibbs cleared his throat, and she turned to meet his gaze, a resigned confidence in her eyes. For the second time in only a few moments their eyes held one another's and Ziva conveyed another silent message that Gibbs heard loud and clear. _I told you that you could trust me._

"Do not tell Tony." she muttered. Gibbs nodded and slipped out, leaving her in the dark room with her thoughts.

Promise the next chapter will be longer, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review!


	4. Chapter 4

Ziva David smelled like sex. Not what she was going for when there was no possible way to get around a confrontation with Eli about leaving Mossad, which through his eyes inevitably meant leaving her country and her family. She was going to be his third and final child to leave him, to disappoint him, to fail to live up to expectations. And she was the one he had always had the most hope for.

"I can take ultra secure underground parking structure for Mossad officers off of my list now." Tony said as he steered the Mossad issued Mercedes SVU out of the garage, interrupting her inner monologue.

"You have always wanted to have sex here?" Ziva asked in the incredulous tone she seemed to reserve exclusively for him. Tony winked at her.

"Only since I met you." He quipped. Ziva rolled her eyes but couldn't keep from smiling. She pointed him towards a cluster of parked cars and gasped.

"Pull in there." She instructed before jumping out of the car and barreling toward an attractive guy who looked like he was fairly close to them in age and throwing her arms around him. Tony's eyes narrowed as she brought him towards the car. She held him loosely by the wrist and pulled him in Tony's direction. He should be mature and get out to shake his hand, but this was too new for him to be above protective jealousy. At least, Tony reasoned with himself, he resisted the urge to get out and claim his territory. It always good to know he could fight his inner caveman.

"Who is the fellow with his arm around your very tan and exposed shoulders?" He asked before Ziva could say anything. She smiled coyly and leaned in, her mouth close to his ear.

"I have always found it incredibly sexy when you get jealous." She whispered. "Very special Agent Anthony DiNozzo of NCIS, meet officer Ravi David of Mossad." Tony extended his hand through the open car window.

"David, you say?" He asked.

"Ziva is my cousin." Rafi said with a pleasant smile. "Based on your reaction, I can safely say that you must be the boyfriend." Ziva cringed but Tony's smile went from sheepish to his trademark frat boy grin.

"Only took me five years and countless cold showers." Rafi returned his grin with a knowing smirk that Tony instantly related to. Ziva, on the other hand, frowned.

"How bad is it?" She asked Rafi. Her cousin grinned.

"You really pissed him off this time, Ziva." She bit her lower lip and leaned against the car, weighing her options. She wanted to be the one to tell Tony she was leaving Mossad, but the timing had to be right; she didn't want to scare him with the meaning behind her decision and she certainly didn't want Eli breaking the news.

"Wait with Tony?" She asked Rafi. "I need a moment with the Director." Rafi nodded.

"Could I interest you in an afternoon cocktail, Agent DiNozzo?"

"Call me Tony. And you certainly can. Big bad Director David? I'll need one."

Ziva grinned and leaned in the car window to kiss him. "Make it a double."

* * *

Jeanne Benoit smelled like sweat. It was so damn hot in this hell hole of a desert, she had spent the last hour wondering how anyone could live here. She felt yet another surge of anger at her father, one of many since the two Israelis had shown up at her door to escort her to Tel Aviv. They kept insisting she knew something, even if she didn't realize it. That was five days ago, and yet, here she was, waiting for the Director's daughter and some CIA agent to show up and investigate.

She was fantasizing about being back in Paris where it wasn't so hot, and wasn't quite so hostile when movement out the window caught her eye.

She wandered over and watched a beautiful tan girl with flowing curly hair talk to an attractive looking guy and the driver of an SUV. Jeanne watched her lean in the car, and kiss the guy driving. The sun visor was down and blocking his face, but from the girl's elated expression, Jeanne couldn't help but feel jealous. This girl looked like untouchably happy, and Jeanne knew that feeling. She sighed and sank back down onto the leather couch. She crossed and then uncrossed her legs, feeling restless and unsettled, like she did every time she thought about Tony. Frustration filled her; it had been over a year, during which time she had managed to put herself back together, save for these moments.

"Dad, Tony, Tony, Dad. Natural correlation. Get it together." She muttered to herself, before flipping open a magazine and continuing to wait.

* * *

Tony DiNozzo was determined not to show fear. Eli David was a shark, and he could smell fear like blood. Rafi shot him a sidelong glance; they were on their way to his office, when around a corner, out of nowhere, came Director David. Ziva was nowhere to be seen.

"Agent DiNozzo." Eli said, smiling. Tony smiled back hesitantly. Whatever he had been expecting, it was more along the lines of water boarding or bamboo shoots under his toenails, not a friendly hello.

"Director David." He said dryly. "What a pleasure."

"We should talk, Agent DiNozzo. Alone if you do not object." The sharpness in his tone that let Tony know there was no option involved in his statement reminded Tony of Gibbs.

"Of course not, Director. I was really hoping we'd get to bond."

"You overwhelm me with your sincerity, Anthony." Eli said, opening a door to an empty room and eyeing Rafi. "You can come collect him in a few moments, Rafi. In the meantime, find Ziva."

Tony sat without being asked, his eyes traveling around the room. It didn't look, or feel for that matter, like an interrogation room per say, but it was Mossad; he wasn't convinced the torture wasn't coming.

"Relax." Director David said, chuckling. "It is a multi-purpose room, not an interrogation or _persuasion_ room. And I am typically not violent with my daughter's…." he trailed off, arching an eyebrow at Tony.

"I take it you're hoping I'm going to say very temporary fling."

"I certainly had my hopes set on that, yes. But I know Ziva. And she loves this country. She is one of the best officers this organization has ever seen, and she is loyal. She would not ask to resign from Mossad if she was not sure."

For the second time in ten minutes, Tony didn't know what to say or how to react. Leaving Mossad? "It seems that I have finally managed to get you to stop talking." Eli said. Tony's eyebrows shot up as he was immediately vaguely reminded of Gibbs. "So, Special Agent DiNozzo. You have clearly had a great impact on my daughter. But what of her impact on you?"

Tony grinned, recovering his composure. "Well she slugged me in the arm last week, and I've got a nasty bruise. Is that the kind of compact you're asking about?" Eli smiled and pulled out a file with Tony's photo clipped to the outside. Tony groaned inwardly.

"A long tenure at NCIS. Bachelor. Many women though." Director David mused. "But nothing permanent. Perhaps you are not what you would call the commitment type? Or should I ask Ms. Benoit?"

Tony smiled again before giving Eli an exaggerated, put off look. "Come on. You're the Director of Mossad, and that's all you've got?"

"Your psychiatric evaluations are interesting. No mother. Strained relationship with your father."

"Which explains why I relate so well to Ziva." Tony shot back. Still, Eli didn't react to him. He flipped a page in Tony's open file.

"You are a narcissist. An empathetic narcissist, but you do have a driving need for attention. You love to be the hero, the protector, do you not?"

"I'm also Italian. Catholic. Non practicing of course."

"You were accused of murder, yes?"

"Were you referring to the time before or after Jeanne told the FBI I shot her father?"

Eli looked up from the file, an undeniable expression of amusement on his face. "Should I have brought protection?" he asked.

Tony flashed another aw shucks smiled and gave a nonchalant shrug. "Nah, you're safe. Rene Benoit I could have taken." He lowered his voice and looked around as though they may be someone who would overhear. "He was French, you know." He whispered loudly.

"Impressive, Agent DiNozzo. Even some of my agents may have taken that bait." Director David closed the file and looked at him with an expression similar to the way he regarded Gibbs in MTAC. "Do you love Ziva?"

"Yes." No hesitation.

"You told Monsieur Benoit the same thing about his daughter."

"This, Director, is different." Tony said. "I loved Jeanne." He paused, uncertain of how to say the right thing.

"Forgive me, Anthony, if I do not see the difference."

"I was in love with Ziva then too." He blurted out. "Being in love with my mark was simpler, believe it or not. And I did love her. Just not like…" he trailed off, and asked himself what Gibbs would do, if this was Shannon. "I want her out of here." Tony said. "I'm sure she had her own reasons for keeping that little gem to herself, and I don't care. I want her out. No more secrets, no more bomb blasts, no more missions with bullets I can't feign the delusion I can protect her from."

"She has devoted her life to Mossad. To Israel." Eli said slowly, almost sorrowfully.

"She will still be your daughter. And she will still love this country. And she will fight the good fight. Just in a safer environment. That would provide for a much longer life. That would leave time for a wedding and grandchildren." Tony was satisfied to see that the big bad Director of Mossad looked surprised.

"With all due respect, sir, you've already lost a daughter. You've got one left, and the longer she stays with Mossad, the bigger the odds that you'll lose the chance to walk her down the aisle, to have grandchildren." Eli's eyes snapped to meet Tony's with a sharpness that Tony recognized. Gibbs gave him that look, and it usually meant he should stop talking. The Director seemed to be appraising him.

"Ziva told me that as her Director, she was telling me to take her weapons and bury her alternate identities." Eli said slowly. "She asked me to accept that decision as her father."

"And do you?"

"On one condition, Special Agent DiNozzo."

"What's that?"

"If you have a son, you will not name it Anthony." Tony grinned and nodded, crossing his fingers under the table as Director David shook his hand.

"I knew you couldn't pass up the chance to have me as a potential son in law!" Tony boomed, reaching over to clap Eli on the back. David shot him a look that could rival the Gibbs stare. "Too soon?" Tony asked. Eli muttered something in Hebrew as he opened another file, and Tony found himself staring at a picture of Rene Benoit.

* * *

Ziva heard Rafi calling her name. She turned to see him standing alone, a guilty smile on his face. "Oh he did not." She said. She didn't need long to study the expression on her cousins face to determine the answer. "Oh no." Rafi opened his mouth but it was cut off by her cell phone. "David." She answered.

"Ziva, its McGee. Gibbs wants to talk to you and Tony." Ziva sighed. Of course he did. As if it wasn't complicated enough.

"That is impossible. Only half of us is available." McGee shot a nervous glance toward Gibbs who giving him the stare.

"Uh, is everything ok? Is Tony okay?"

"Of course everything is not okay! We have so much to figure out and we are here, and he is being interrogated by my father!" Ziva shot out quickly and loudly. The remaining rational part of her brain said Gibbs was likely nearby and she should shut up didn't stand a chance at this point. "Not only did he just, for the first time call himself my boyfriend, but he is undoubtedly learning from my father, my director, that I am leaving Mossad. Something I wanted to tell him myself. In due time."

"You're leaving Mossad?" Ziva let out a laugh.

"I am leaving Mossad. For me, I suppose, but for him as much as anything." She couldn't help but smile as McGee was silent.

"So its real? You really love him?" He asked.

"I know it is hard to believe but I really do love him." Ziva wandered into the lounge on the executive floor, the lounge she had always been particularly partial to, only to see the woman she knew in her mind only as her or the other one; Jeanne Benoit.

"Got to go McGee, talk to you soon." She stood, feeling frozen for the first time in a very long time. She willed her feet to move her away from Jeanne but it wasn't happening fast enough.

"Hi." Ziva turned and smiled at the body carrying the voice.

"Hello."

Jeanne paused, searching her memory; there was something oddly familiar about that profile, that light, pleasing accent. Ziva weighed her options, and decided it was not her secret to tell.

"Ziva David." She said, extending her hand.

"Jeanne Benoit." She said as they shook hands. I know who you are, Ziva thought, feeling as though she had too many unfair advantages. She knew what was coming for Jeanne.

"David," Jeanne mused. "As in Director David?" Ziva gave her a slight nod.

"Eli David is the director of Mossad. And my father."

"And you're a Mossad agent? At least for the time being?" Jeanne smiled. "I couldn't help overhearing."

Ziva returned her smile with a tentative grin of her own. "I am leaving Mossad. It is difficult, but it is the right thing to do. My father doesn't see it that way. He lives by his own code." Jeanne nodded, a flicker of understanding crossing her features.

"I know a little bit about that."

"Your father. The arms dealer." Jeanne shuddered a little.

"How do you forgive him, knowing how much blood is on his hands? For how his decisions changed your life?" Ziva shrugged.

"When you figure it out, let me know." She said quietly meeting Jeanne's eyes. Jeanne returned the slow sad smile with one of her. "My father trained me to be an assassin, and sent me to kill on his orders. He has lied to me and misled me so many times, and risked my life time and time again. But he is still my father." Jeanne nodded, feeling an understanding pass between them.

"I know something about dishonest men. My father, my..." She trailed off. "I went through decades not knowing who he was, what he did every day."

"He should not have lied to you." Ziva said. "But I understand why he did. If you had known…" she met Jeanne's eyes. "I understand why he thought it was better that way. He only wanted to protect you." Jeanne nodded, and smiled softly at her.

"Thank you." she whispered. "It's hard to talk about when it's not something people understand. How many people can relate to your father being an international arms dealer?"

"The daughter of the director of a network of assassins?" Ziva asked, jokingly flashing a playful smile. Jeanne chuckled, feeling more at ease than she had the entire time she'd been here.

"Well, no offense to your father, Ziva, but I just don't understand why he's got me here. I don't know what he thinks I could possibly know to help."

"I am not entirely certain myself." Ziva replied slowly. "We have just gotten here and he has not briefed us on the details of the mission." Jeanne gave her a knowing smile, thinking that she might like this…assassin.

"Right. The new boyfriend, being interrogated?"

"How did you know that?" Ziva snapped sharply, looking up at her.

"Like I said, I couldn't help overhearing." Ziva smiled, relaxed again, until she realized she didn't want Jeanne to know the truth quite yet because she actually liked her.

"Oh right, of course." She muttered. "Yes, I fear my father may be trying to scare him off." Jeanne looked at Ziva; her deep eyes, her perfect body, her tan skin. She rolled her eyes at her.

"Yea, somehow I don't think that's going to work."

"Certainly has not until this point." Ziva joked with a smile. "But you do not know my father. And they are both complicated men. And I am not sure where our relationship is after years of prancing around our feelings for each other."

"I think you mean dancing."

Ziva chuckled. "You will have to excuse my issues with American idioms. "Dancing around our feelings. I suppose that a very small part of me is afraid it was the dance he enjoyed, although when he tells me otherwise I do believe him. I have seen how much he has changed."

"Proceed with caution." Jeanne said, wincing at the bitterness in her own voice. She ran a hand through her hair and gave an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry. Last real break up was a bad one." Ziva almost apologized, but sensed she didn't want to talk about it.

"Of course, there is always the chance my father is currently torturing him, which I'm sure he has seen in a movie somewhere." Ziva said without thinking, trying to lighten the mood. Jeanne's eyes snapped up and narrowed before relaxing again.

"Ziva." Her father's voice.

"Excuse me for a moment, Jeanne."

"What American agency did you say you were from?" Jeanne asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"Uh, I did not say any agency." Ziva said, slipping out of the door and into the ajar conference room door a few feet down the hall. Her father was not there, but Tony was sitting with his hands folded. "Tony."

"You're leaving Mossad." He said. It was not a question, it was a statement.

"Eli is letting me go?" she breathed. Tony looked up and met her eyes.

"With his blessing." He said. She opened her mouth to explain, to ask him not to run the other direction, but he beat her to the punch. "I convinced him he would want me as a son in law." Ziva's right eyebrow arched so high on her forehead Tony thought it might disappear into her hairline.

"I did not tell you because I did not want to force a…conversation. We have had the conversation. I quit because I want to be with you for as long as you will have me and that will be difficult if I am dead." She looked at him with a smile. "And we are not going to discuss it further, because I am afraid you might cry."

Tony's grin practically split his face. She really was the perfect girl for him. "For the record, David, you'll be the one dying to get rid of me."

She smirked at him. "Probably, since Gibbs made me promise not to kill you." Tony reached out and closed his hand around her wrist to pull her onto his lap, but her face changed so quickly it stopped him. "I just met Jeanne."

"Your father told me she was here." He eyed Ziva. "You didn't kill her did you?"

"No," Ziva said, shaking her head and smiling. "I liked her."

Tony pretended to choke and mocked the beginning stages of someone passing out and falling from their chair. "Did I hear you correctly, David?"

"We understand one another, Tony." He looked uncomfortable. "Because of our fathers, not you." she said rolling her eyes. "I did not mention that. I thought she should hear it from you."

Tony nodded. "Normally, I would try and weasel my way out of this, spinning it to make me look good." Ziva laughed.

"Good luck with that."

"I need to tell her the truth." Tony said. And he did. To close out that chapter, and move forward with Ziva, he had to tell Jeanne all of the truths. Ziva nodded slowly and squeezed his hand. He pulled her down onto the chair and had his lips inches from hers when there was a sharp knock at the door. Ziva stood ramrod straight and opened it, the door blocking Tony's chair from the knocker's view, just in case.

"Ziva!" The man exclaimed. "I heard you were back. I guess the obnoxious American boyfriend was a rumor then. Trying to make me jealous?" Before Ziva could say anything, Tony appeared in his usual position partially behind her, the way they always stood.

"Hiya!" he said with a grin usually reserved for overzealous Metro detectives and Agent Sacks. "Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo of NCIS. Or if you prefer, the obnoxious American boyfriend."

"Michael Rivkin." The Israeli said, appraising Tony. Tony's grin changed a bit; Ziva had told him about Michael.

"The scary Mossad ex. I guess I'm your replacement."

"This is karma for killing people or pranking McGee." Ziva murmured.

"Tony?" came Jeanne's voice.

"Definitely pranking McGee." Tony whispered in Ziva's ear.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Ok, so we've had basically a year long lapse since updating **_**anything**_** regularly, but granted we had some stuff going. So now, Sara and Liz have relocated, to DC, of all places, which has inspired some serious NCIS-ness. So we're going to update. A lot. Promise.**

**Also, please review. We're insecure. Even if you hate it, tell us. Also, we know it's ZNN on the show, but since we don't own NCIS, only this tale, we go with CNN. **

Ziva cringed; Tony, Michael and Jeanne were all talking at once. She couldn't make out exactly what anyone was saying, but she was fairly certain that Michael was addressing her, while Tony stammered explanations and apologies to Jeanne who was unleashing what Ziva had to admit was an impressive fury. The surreal feeling overtook her, and she couldn't shake the sensation that she was watching this scene unfold from outside of herself. What was that expression about the car wreck, or train wreck? Either way, she couldn't look away.

The symphony of three people talking loudly in unison coupled with the motley crew in front of her brought the reality of the situation crashing down on her, followed by a wave of consuming panic and rare self doubt. It's not that it was surprising given either of their personalities that she and Tony had moved warped speed from the drunken confession to being together, just like that, as McGee had put it. In fact she wasn't even sure exactly what was causing her to feel suddenly insecure, but she pushed it aside; there were more pressing problems.

She could deal with self doubt and her underlying fear that Tony would get bored now that they said everything you're supposed to say and made it a sure thing if they were a thing at all by the time they left Israel. She could feel Michael's eyes on her as he spoke, but she wasn't listening to a word. Ziva's thoughts drifted to the last time she saw him.

That evening, the work day was ending in its usual setting, Eli's office. Ziva had been distracted that day, ever since Gibbs called. Even today, she recalled how she felt; this night was vivid in her mind's eye. Eli cleared his throat, and delivered the news. Director Vance called, requesting she be reassigned to NCIS. She remembered how she held her breath until her father informed her she was going back to Washington, and she remember the look on Michael's face when he caught her leaving with her bags and realized she never intended to say goodbye.

"And you!" Ziva snapped back to the moment she was in as Jeanne turned toward her. "I knew you looked familiar. NCIS. That's the place I saw you. You had to know! Your _work_ with him, you were in the room when I was there after my father died, and you couldn't so much as issue a warning?" Ziva opened her mouth, but found she had nothing to say. "I know it's a little soon, but since we got Daddy issues and boy troubles out of the way, you think you could have given me a hint."

Behind her Michael chuckled. He met Tony' gaze over Ziva and Jeanne's heads. "I think I am going to enjoy this." he murmured.

"I am sorry, Jeanne." Ziva said, finally.

Michael made a clucking sound and shook his head. "You really might have said something Ziva. Since you knew his presence would be difficult for Jeanne. He was right across the hall." He grinned as he continued. "With your father."

"Oh my God." Jeanne murmured. "He's you're..." she trailed off for a moment, and Tony had the horrifying feeling she might start to cry. Instead, she let out a short, bitter laugh. "Well good luck with that." Instinctively, Tony's eyes found Ziva. Her expression was familiar, but not what he'd expected.

"What is it?"

"Something is wrong." She opened her mouth the say more, only to be drowned out by an alarm. Ziva locked eyes with Michael as the gunfire erupted and a large blast shook the door. They both swore in Hebrew as she locked the door and hit the alarm button inside the room. She motioned at Michael's hip and wordlessly, he handed her the walkie talkie he was carrying.

"David." she said into it. "Where is my father?"

"Ziva, it is Ravi," said the voice crackling from the speaker, "He is in his office."

"Lock it down." she said. "Lock everything down and give me a moment to think." There was a period of hesitation on the other line.

"Ziva..." Ravi said slowly.

"I am the ranking officer. Lock it down!" She put the walkie talkie on the table and looked at Michael again, who was smirking back at her. Tony was watching her face, and he recognized the way her eyes narrowed. "What?" she asked Michael.

"Good news travels fast apparently." Michael offered vaguely. Tony felt a tug of annoyance at Michael's cocky, cool under pressure, arrogant tone. Tony had practically _invented _that tone, and this guy's delivery was completely off.

"What's that supposed to mean, Mikey?" Tony asked. He knew he was being obnoxious, but he didn't have the capacity for mature emotional responses when he was stuck in the middle of this awkward love square.

"One of your fans must have heard that Ziva David was back in Tel Aviv." he said to Ziva, ignoring Tony entirely. "You know as well as I do that the list of organizations and individuals who would be interested in that information is... endless."

"I am less concerned with why than how." Ziva said tightly, opening a cabinet and pulling out the contents. She produced a second walkie talkie, and two bulletproof vests, one of which she wordlessly handed to Tony, the other she slid over soldiers.

Tony watched in admiration as Ziva slid her vest over her tan, bare arms. There were few things he loved more than a woman in a tank top and a bullet proof vest. Particularly that woman. Despite all the reasons they might be pretty freakin' screwed, Tony felt a rush of excitement, and his stomach flipped the way it always did when Ziva went into Lara Croft mode. "What's the plan, David?"

"We wait for them to reach the middle of the building, where it is open and we can see from the upper levels. Depending on the number of intruders, we may be able to eradicate the problem from there." Tony nodded, and cast an eye to Jeanne. She looked away, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Jeanne, you will stay here with Michael. He is armed and able to protect you if necessary." Jeanne didn't have a reply, but she just looked at Ziva like she had three heads before shaking her head and beginning to protest. "Not a debate." Ziva snapped. "Your safety is the responsibility of Mossad."

"I agree, but she will stay here with Agent DiNozzo." Michael said. "I know the layout of the building; I am going with you."

"You are staying right here."

"I am not." Michael said defiantly, turning to face Ziva.

"Tony is my partner, he is coming with me." Tony watched in slightly nervous fascination as they faced off; Michael's eyes narrowed at Ziva, but her expression never changed. He finally dropped her gaze and leaned against the table. Ignoring him, Ziva turned to Tony. "Follw my lead." she muttered.

"Your turf, Zi."

"Tony?"

"Ziva?"

"If this goes bad, or anything happens..." she paused and swallowed. The look on her face was Tony's first indication that he wasn't going to care for Israel. "No matter what, you shoot to kill." Yup, Tony thought, he really didn't care for Israel.

* * *

McGee looked up from his desk, where he was busy doing some casual hacking, looking for any information that might help Tony and Ziva, and get them back to Washington as soon as possible. McGee could tell that Gibbs was slightly uncomfortable with their sudden departure to Israel and McGee felt the same. It seemed like every time Mossad entered their world something went wrong. Granted he really only had two examples to support his case, but Ari killing Kate and Ziva almost getting arrested for murder were compelling evidence.

He looked up because Abby had been pacing in front of his desk for the last five minutes, but hadn't said a word. There was an exaggerated look of concentration on her face. "What's up, Abs?" McGee asked.

She stopped pacing and turned to him, her hands firmly on her hips. "Thank you for asking, Timmy." She announced. He eyed her quizzically, trying to determine whether she was thanking him, or whether she was admonishing him for not asking sooner.

"Trent Kort is on my mind." She said. McGee arched an eyebrow and grabbed a chair for her. She sat down across from him. "He was running the show after the Frog, right?" Abby asked, without waiting for, or wanting an answer. "Well, I was bored, so I did some digging, and it looks like he's moved on to something else."

McGee held up a finger and smiled triumphantly as the CIA closing report on Operation Lodestone popped onto his screen. "Reassigned." He confirmed. "I broke down their firewall, and it looks like the CIA sent him to recover blood diamonds in Sierra Leone."

"Rugged," Abby remarked, "And a far cry from being a big time arms dealer." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Karma." She decided.

"Definitely." McGee agreed. He turned his attention back to his computer, and frowned. "You know, Abs, I think you're on to something. After Kort is pulled from the head, the record of La Grenouille's operation just stops."

"Which means the CIA did something so super secret that not even you can hack the files."

"Or the CIA lost control of the top guy, and the person at the top is actually a cold blooded killing machine of an arms dealer." McGee said grimly. Abby reached over the table and punched him in the arm.

"McGee!" she exclaimed.

"What was that for?" McGee asked, rubbing his arm.

"For being negative!" Abby stressed. "The more positive thoughts we send to Tony and Ziva, the faster they will come home, still a couple. I've been thinking positive all day." McGee wasn't sure exactly how to respond to that, particularly in light of the feeling that something was really off about this. In the silence that elapsed, the TV caught his ear.

"For more coverage on this breaking news story, we now turn to our affiliates in Tel Aviv."

"Thanks Wolf. It is a familiar scene in Israel, but certainly not for this building. The headquarters of Israeli agency Mossad are under lockdown after an explosion rocked the building about two hours ago. Police say they have been in contact with Mossad, and the building is being searched for intruders, or evidence that may link the perpetrators with this attack." McGee looked at Abby as the camera tightened on the building.

"See? Negativity, McGee. It gets things blown up." He opened his mouth to protest, but was again distracted by CNN.

"Look, Abby, its Tony and Ziva coming out of the building. Your positive outweighed my negative. They're fine."

She stood and smiled. "That's what I like about you, Timmy. You always see it my way." McGee shook his head as she headed toward the elevator, presumably back to her lab. He heard her say hello to Gibbs, as he pulled the report on Kort and the freeze frame of Tony and Ziva exiting Mossad onto the plasma.

"What's this, McGee?" Gibbs asked, leaning against his desk with his coffee.

"I have a bad feeling about this, boss." McGee said, only hesitating slightly. Gibbs looked at the screen and sighed.

"So do I, Tim."


End file.
